Nadene Hall

Nadene Hall has written about gardening, farming, and country life for the past 20 years, since leaving the world of news journalism. The garden on her eight-acre hobby farm in Waikato, New Zealand began with no budget. Fortunately, gardening friends and family members brought gifts of plants. Her gerberas were ancestors of those originally planted by her great-grandmother in the 1920s, and the dahlias that bedazzle the front of her country home were donated by her florist-gardener aunt.

9 Reasons Why Your Peony Fails to Bloom

A close up horizontal image of deep red peony flowers growing in the garden pictured in bright sunshine on a soft focus background.

Peonies are the shooting stars of the flower world, their ravishing blooms briefly lighting up the garden with pure elegance. But sometimes, you may see all your promising buds shrivel into nothing. Here are 9 reasons why your peonies bud but don’t bloom, with simple steps that may help them to shine next spring.

How to Grow and Care for Gerbera Daisies

A close up horizontal image of brightly colored gerbera daisies growing in the garden pictured in light sunshine.

The sweet, bright blooms of Gerbera jamesonii make it one of the world’s favorite cut flowers and it’s also easy to grow. Enjoy beds and borders with flowers in delicate creams and whites, hot to pastel pinks, or bold oranges and reds. Find out how to grow and care for your own gerbera daisies in this guide. Read more.